• Apply online through our free graduate application.
• Submit an undergraduate transcript from a regionally accredited college/university.
• Submit an online essay.
• Submit letters of recommendation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university.
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00* from degree-granting college/university.
• A personal statement (1-3) pages which addresses the following topics:
          – Your education and professional experience and how this has prepared you for graduate study in leadership.
          – Your personal reflection on what makes you a good candidate for an advanced degree in leadership.
          – A basic overview of a change you’d like to see in your workplace or organization of interest and how this program might assist you in implementing that change.
• Curriculum vitae or resume including any relevant educational and professional experience.
• Two letters of recommendation from professional references that must be received directly from references.  One letter should address the student’s leadership capabilities and ability to create positive change.  One letter should address the student’s ability to manage multiple priorities and be successful in academic pursuits.

*Students may be admitted on provisional status with a lower GPA.  Students on provisional status must obtain at least a 3.00 GPA after their first fall or winter term.

The program is designed to help individuals explore how they are called to lead and how they can enhance their own ability to navigate personal leadership challenges. The program will place a strong emphasis on application of the material in an applied setting (for example, the learner’s place of employment), starting with identifying and sharing a leadership challenge they are facing. Various course assignments and portfolio artifacts will be developed pertinent to the applied setting. The program will offer mentoring and a high level of support for individuals as they progress through the program.

Financing Your Education

There are many ways to finance your master’s degree at Wartburg. Below are some additional options students should consider:

• U.S. Department of Education Loans – Students in the Master of Arts in Leadership program are eligible to apply for educational loans through the U.S. Department of Education. Direct Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS loans are available. Click here for a brochure from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Veteran Benefits/G.I. Bill – The Master of Arts in Leadership program is VA benefits eligible through the GI Bill. Click here for details from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Employer Support – Consider visiting with your employer about the possibility of financially supporting your education. Many employers offer partial or even full financial support for graduate programs. If your employer is a Learning Alliance member, employees and their spouses receive a 10 percent tuition discount for graduate study.

The construction of a portfolio throughout the course offerings will serve as formative and summative documentation, which provides an integrative framework to the program as a whole. Each course contains assignments that comprise parts of the overall portfolio. Each learner will build a summative portfolio over the course of the program with advising from instructors.

Upon completion of the master’s degree, the learner will have demonstrated the following abilities and attributes:

• Express a personal leadership identity, maximizing on personal effectiveness. 
• Analyze complex environments and the need for change. 
• Evaluate the role innovation and entrepreneurship play in organizational effectiveness within economic, social and political environments.
• Develop knowledge, skills and commitments that foster stewardship of human and material resources. 
• Translate the leadership development process through the creation of a portfolio reflective of the leadership journey. 
• Articulate reflective analyses on what it means to live a life of purpose, distinguishing a life of success and a life of significance.

Courses are developed in a condensed/accelerated format that allows students to take courses primarily one course at a time.